The Judiciary has issued a clarification regarding a viral social media post about a woman named Dorothy Muoma, which claimed she served as a magistrate at Kitale Law Courts and later ended up as a street urchin.
In a statement dated Thursday, February 19, 2026, the Judiciary dismissed the claims as false.
“The Judiciary has taken note of a post on social media regarding Ms. Dorothy Muoma, who is said to have died on February 3, 2026. The post claims that Ms. Muoma was once a magistrate at Kitale Law Courts.
“We would like to confirm that Ms. Muoma was never an employee of the Judiciary at any point in her career,” said the Judiciary.
Despite dismissing the reports as false, the Judiciary expressed sympathy to her family, offering condolences following her death.
“We nonetheless wish to condole with the family at her passing away,” read the statement.
The Judiciary’s response comes after photos of Dorothy Muoma circulated widely on social media, showing her in earlier years when she appeared well, alongside more recent images of her living on the streets in Kitale.
The reports, which spread widely on social media and across some media houses, alleged that a woman identified as Dorothy Muoma had once served as a magistrate in Kitale before allegedly falling into hardship and mental illness.
File image of Dorothy Muoma
In an emotional narrative that circulated online, the woman was described as a former judicial officer who once commanded respect in the courtroom, only to later lose her job, property and stability.
According to the viral accounts, she was said to have been suspended and later dismissed from her position, after which her life allegedly unravelled.
According to unverified social media reports, Muoma was alleged to have been a magistrate at Kitale Law Courts before her life took a difficult turn following mental health challenges. The posts claimed she was suspended from work and later dismissed, after which she reportedly lost her home and other property due to financial difficulties.
The viral posts further alleged that she became isolated, with friends, colleagues, and relatives distancing themselves, eventually leaving her homeless and living on the streets. It was also claimed that she later died on February 3, 2026, and was laid to rest on February 18.
Besides the Judiciary’s clarification, Dorothy’s eulogy, which has also been shared online, indicates that she was an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, not a magistrate or judge, as widely claimed on social media.
According to the eulogy, Dorothy completed her legal training and was admitted to the bar as an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya in 2003. She worked in several law firms between 2003 and 2010 before joining the Office of the Attorney General under the National Legal Aid Programme (NALEP), where she served as an Assistant Registrar in charge of the Kisumu office until 2014, when she lost her job due to illness.
In 2016, she established her own law firm, Lukas Muoma and Associates. However, her illness made it difficult for her to sustain the practice.
